Source: Reuters
December 14 2018
The U.S. and South Korean governments have not yet agreed on how to share the cost of maintaining U.S. troops on the Korean peninsula after President Trump called for Seoul to cover more of the burden, reports Reuters.
Three days of talks in Seoul have yielded progress but no final accord, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said on Friday.
The sides have held 10 rounds of talks since March after the Trump administration demanded Seoul carry more of the cost.
Under the current deal negotiated in 2014, South Korea is expected to pay US$850 million this year. That agreement is set to expire this year.
The U.S. has pressed for Seoul to increase its share of the costs to US$1.2 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.
Some of this increase would pay for the costs of mobilizing equipment during joint exercises, according to South Korean officials.
In November, U.S. Forces Korea warned Korean employees they might be put on furlough if no deal is reached by April.
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